Portraiture Research Project

Introduction and Background

Topics:

The fleeting state of one’s childhood-The fragility of one’s youth  

Sub-topics: Growing up too fast, Addressing the physical, emotional, and social changes that occur in people from birth into adulthood

Memories-Things that have stuck with you vs. Moments that you have reimagined and  moments that have shaped who you are

Subtopics: Short-term Memory, Sensory Memory, Long-term Memory, Explicit Memory

Visual Arts- Subtopics: Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Printmaking, using Visual Arts as a means to express oneself and gain an understanding of the world around us

Child’s Play-The act of play encourages one to be imaginative and creative and form meaningful experiences

Sub-topics: Imaginative Play, Parallel Play, Social Play, Socioeconomic Play

Drawing from one’s experiences: Lessons that are based on the life of our students, Lessons that relate to a specific group of people/culture

Sub-topics: Understanding the causes and consequences of past actions, identify patterns of success and failure

As I revised my own art and teaching portfolios, some common themes are the fleeting state of one childhood, relying on memories to recall a moment in one's life, and how that notion can be conveyed through different visual mediums. Everyone’s experience from birth to adulthood is drastically different from one another. Yet when we look upon a painting of a child playing on the front porch of their home, and they get a whiff of the smell of their mother’s cooking, we can't help but be nostalgic, and within our minds, a loop of our cherished memories from our youth begins to play. Through the visual arts, we can find common ground with one another; it provides us with an opportunity to gain a new perspective of the world through the lenses of another. 

As an art educator, I always create lessons tailored to my student's interests because, through that intersection, we can cultivate a relationship with one another that can bring about real change in our society. Visual arts can serve as a catalyst to bridge the gaps between different communities. Through my research, I plan to delve into how our past experiences from childhood have shaped who we are today and how we can use various tools within our possession as educators to create a space where students feel comfortable sharing parts of their world with us so we can gain a better understanding of one another. Also, I am interested in discussing with my interviewees how the act of children playing can encourage them to be creative beings and allow them to explore their imagination and how this can affect their well-being. Children today are engaged in fewer acts of play; they are either playing a video game, watching a show, or scrolling on social media. This creates a less engaged child, becoming more isolated from the world around them because they are not taking the time to participate in their life.